It has long been known to produce beverages of various formulations. Improved and new formulations are desirable to achieve desired nutritional characteristics, flavor, shelf life, and other objectives. For example, it would be desirable to prevent the fading of colors derived from natural sources in beverages that often occurs over time, particularly when the beverage is subjected to high temperatures during transport and storage. For example, following manufacture, beverage products are generally not refrigerated during distribution and may be subjected to temperatures of up to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit during transport. In addition, beverage products may be subjected to temperatures of up to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit for several weeks during storage prior to sale.
It is believed that reduction is primarily responsible for color instability or color fading. Reduction can be chemically-, light- or biologically induced by microbes or enzymes in a given beverage composition, though light is typically the predominant initiator. Secondary chemical reduction initiators may be present in certain beverages, such as ascorbic acid, and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF formed in HFCS). Moreover, these initiators work with light to fade colors, thus the presence of an antioxidant, such as ascorbic acid, in the beverage product can promote the fading of colors derived from natural sources.
It is an object of the invention to provide beverages and other beverage products having desirable appearance, taste and health properties. It is an object of at least certain embodiments of the invention to provide beverages and other beverage products having improved formulations to inhibit fading of colors derived from natural sources. These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention or of certain embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following disclosure and description of exemplary embodiments.